Securing funding just in time, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has allocated $199,000 to Genesee County, helping to lay the ever-lengthening red carpet for Alpina Foods.

The South American yogurt company is building a factory in the local Agri-Business Park on Route 5. Today, Senator Chuck Schumer announced $58,000 in USDA funding to help ready the park for Alpina.

Genesee County Economic Development President Steve Hyde says just weeks ago, the fed contributed another $141,000 in federal cash – money that was desperately needed to complete the park’s sewer system. The fine points of an important sewage treatment deal had just recently been hammered out with the City and Town of Batavia.

"We needed the major investment...for our connections to the city system, as well as some water enhancements for Alpina," Hyde said. "So that's a great piece of funding that we were certainly counting on."

The GCEDC had promised in an agreement with the City and Town that they would fund all construction costs to build out two pumping stations, and a length of sewer line from the Park, down Cedar Street to East Main Street. This new funding is expected to cover those costs.
Construction on the sewer is expected to be completed by the end of 2011. Alpina Foods is planning to begin producing yogurt by next spring.